This invention pertains generally to electronic gaming devices and more particularly to a microprocessor-based system capable of efficiently storing a library of gaming cards which can be electronically downloaded from the library into individual gaming boards, as for playing bingo.
Gaming cards are used in bingo and similar games of chance. The individual elements of the cards re covered by respective players pursuant to numbers generated by a random number generating device, as by drawing numbers from a hat. In bingo, the gaming card is in the form of a 5.times.5 array of numbers, with the centermost location being blank or termed a "free space." The game is generally played with 75 or 90 numbers, where each column in the array is limited to one-fifth of the numbers; e.g., if the selected numbers are to range from 1 to 75, then the first column numbers are taken from the group 1 to 75, then the first column numbers are taken from the group 1 to 15; if he selected numbers are to range from 1 to 90, then the numbers in the fist column will range from 1 to 18. In a similar fashion, the second column numbers are taken from the group 16 to 30 or the group 19 to 36, as the case may be, and so on. There are no duplicate numbers on the gaming card.
Before the commencement of a game, the operator specifies what constitutes a winning pattern on the gaming card. The specified pattern may be an X, T, L, a diagonal line, a horizontal line, a vertical line, four corners, and so on. Game participants attempt to achieve the specified pattern by matching the randomly-drawn numbers with the numbers on their game cards.
For instance, in one game, a winning pattern may be a diagonal line, and the randomly-drawn numbers may be in the range from 1 to 75. If a number drawn coincides with a number on a player's board, the player marks the position on his board. The first player to have board markings which coincide with the winning pattern is the winner of the game.
Several of these games, normally between twelve and eighteen, constitute a bingo program or session. Such a session is normally played over the course of several hours. Aside from an occasional intermission, the games are usually played consecutively and without significant interruption.
Traditionally, these games have been played with gaming cards formed of paper boards containing printed numerical arrays. These gaming cards are distributed at the beginning of a gaming session. Players select from a large number of boards and, therefore, are unable to create and play with an array of their own choosing and determination. While some games have been played with blank paper boards that the player fills in with numbers of his own choosing, the cards can be used only once since the player marks out the called numbers with an ink dauber or like means. This type of random array selection results in inefficiency of operation for playing consecutive games on a minimum interruption basis.
This inefficiency affects not only the game operator, who must check a copy of the marked paper boards which are collected to avoid an unauthorized change in the numbers once the game has started, but also the player, who must prepare a new board prior to the start of each game. These actions require time and detract from the desired even, and essentially uninterrupted, flow of a successful bingo program. It is mainly for these reasons that the blank board approach has been used only for single games and then generally for the first game of the bingo program.
Recently, electronic gaming boards have been developed to overcome many of the limitations inherent in. traditional paper bingo cards. These electronic boards can display the shape of the winning pattern to be formed from the randomly-called numbers and signal the player when a winning array has been achieved. An electronic gaming board of this type is more fully described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,365,810, issued to John Richardson on Dec. 28, 1982. Other advantageous electronic gaming boards include those disclosed in pending application U.S. Ser. No. 820,521, which is now U.S. Pat. No. 4,848,771, of John Richardson entitled, "Automatic Gaming System"; U.S. Pat. No. 4,798,387, issued to John Richardson, entitled "Multiple Gaming Board; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,747,600, issued to John Richardson entitled "Gaming Board with Instant Win Feature". "Gaming Board with Instant Win Feature" provides for the storage of a complex gaming schedule to produce arbitrary win patterns with multiple level and place formats. The disclosures of this patent and these patent applications are expressly incorporated herein by reference.
Even with the improvement brought about by electronic gaming boards, the play during a bingo gaming session has become much more complex. More and different types of games are being played today than just the five across, up or down of the traditional bingo game. Specialized win patterns for each game are becoming commonplace, and it is difficult to provide a multiplicity of patterns on electronic gaming boards by using individual select switches because of the large number of possible patterns.
Often times there are multiple win patterns or levels that build to a final payoff. For example, the final win pattern may be three completely filled horizontal bars comprising the first, third, and fifth rows of a card. A first level win pattern may be the fifth row, the second level win pattern may be the fifth and first rows, and the third level win pattern or final payoff is given to the first player to completely fill all three bars. It is difficult with presently-configured electronic gaming boards to conveniently play different game levels.
Many bingo gaming sessions today offer cash prizes for first, second, and third place winners. For instance, the first person to match a particular pattern receives a substantial first prize, a lesser amount is awarded to the second person to match the same pattern, and the third person to match the pattern might receive a relatively insignificant cash award. These place games are very difficult to implement on prior-art gaming systems.
Game participants will generally play several game cards at a time. It is advantageous for the operator of a gaming session to sell as many game cards as possible, but as game card sales increase, control and audit problems become more pronounced. Previously, the operator of a gaming session had been without any knowledge of the actual cards being used by the respective participants. Moreover, the participants must locate entries on a number of cards and simultaneously watch for the winning pattern. If the winning pattern varies from game to game, the task can become truly formidable, resulting in an inefficient gaming operation. To retain control, the operator of the gaming session must be able to maintain an accurate record of the cards which have been sold throughout the course of an evening.
The increased volume of card sales demands a more efficient distribution mechanism. Existing electronic gaming boards require players to input numbers laboriously into their gaming boards, or to wait as a random number generator fills their cards. These procedures are time-consuming, precluding additional card sales.
Electronic gaming boards have created the need for a quick, easy means by which the gaming operator can produce and transfer large numbers of gaming cards, as well as complex gaming schedules, into the gaming boards. The gaming session operator further requires assistance in formulating the complex gaming schedule from one session to the next. A gaming system which is designed to improve the efficiency of a typical bingo gaming session should provide gaming boards which cannot be changed. Furthermore, the board should be designed for quick, easy verification of winning claims. The system should provide an indication that the gaming board was actually acquired from the operator for use in the particular session being conducted. Additionally, because each individual game during a typical bingo session generally requires a different shape for the winning pattern, it would be desirable for the player to have the shape of a winning array displayed promptly on his board and to be provided with an automatic indication when a match for that pattern is achieved.
Under prior electronic bingo gaming systems, a number of deceptions can be practiced. For instance, in some systems, it has been possible for a player to generate favorable cards on an electronic gaming board as the random numbers were announced. It has also been possible for a player to use an old game card in a new game, or to utilize electronic means to "verify" an improperly secured "win." Unscrupulous players might attempt to collect prize money by playing on electronic gaming boards from other bingo gaming operations. Similarly, game participants could modify the electronic gaming boards to enhance the chances of winning. Therefore, electronic gaming systems must provide security checks to ensure that allegedly-winning electronic gaming boards belong to the gaming system in question and have not been modified. Otherwise, the profitability of an entire bingo operation may be jeopardized.